R.I. P. John Prine

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We hear that people die from the corona virus daily. Some of these deaths are musicians, and among musicians who have died from this terrible virus is John Prine.

John Prine, the raspy-voiced country-folk singer whose ingenious lyrics to songs by turns poignant, angry and comic made him a favorite of Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and others, died on Tuesday in Nashville. He was 73. The cause was complications of the coronavirus, his family said.

John Prine (October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American country folk singer-songwriter. He was active as a composer, recording artist, and live performer from the early 1970s until his death, and was known for an often humorous style of country music that has elements of protest and social commentary. The track Glory Of True Love,

Born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, Prine learned to play the guitar at the age of 14. He attended classes at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music. After serving in West Germany with the U.S. Army, he moved to Chicago in the late 1960s, where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs as a hobby. The track Clay Pigeons,

A member of Chicago’s folk revival, he was discovered by Kris Kristofferson (although Prine himself credited film reviewer Roger Ebert, resulting in the production of Prine’s self-titled debut album with Atlantic Records in 1971. After receiving critical acclaim, Prine focused on his musical career, recording three more albums for Atlantic. He then signed to Asylum Records, where he recorded an additional three albums. In 1984 he co-founded Oh Boy Records, an independent record label with which he would release most of his subsequent albums. After his battle with squamous cell cancer in 1998, Prine’s vocals deepened into a gravelly voice. The track Hello In There,

Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs with social commentary, and songs which recollect melancholy tales from his life.

Back in 2016, John Prine was having trouble writing new songs. It had been more than a decade since his last album, 2005’s good Fair & Square, and the longer he waited to release a new one, the more anxious he felt. “One of the reasons I’m having such a difficult time is, I don’t wanna just sit down and write a little couplet that’s kind of witty, or something,” he said, sitting in his Nashville office. (He didn’t use the term office seriously — he didn’t consider his job work.) “I’ve done that, and I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to repeat myself. I got a really great bunch a people that like my songs and buy all the records, and I think they deserve is to get something really good, rather than something every couple a years just so they can.